The Wild Boy of Alola
by Sweet-SnarkingFool
Summary: A Tarzan/Jungle Book!AU of sorts. Ever since he was a baby, Ash had been raised by the Lycanroc of Alola but has wondered where he truly belonged. When a flaxen-haired young lady named Lillie comes in, she may be the key to him figuring it out but they may need to dodge a couple of enemies such as a rouge Incineroar with a past with Ash and a notorious hunter. Ash/Lillie
1. Prologue : A Mother's Love

The Wild Boy of Alola

Author's Note : I've been meaning to do write this story for quite some time. I wanted to do a tribute to one of my favorite, in fact my SECOND favorite of Ash ships, Aureliashipping aka Ash/Lillie. So to start off the new year, I decided to write a story combining two of my favorite things : Ash/Lillie and a jungle-themed fanfic. So here we go.

Summary : A Tarzan/Jungle Book!AU of sorts. Ever since he was a baby, Ash had been raised by the Lycanroc of Alola but has wondered where he belonged. Perhaps a flaxen-blonde haired young lady named Lillie can help him but they may need to dodge a couple of enemies such as a rouge Incineroar and a notorious hunter.

Pairings : Ash/Lillie (Note: I MAY, not might, add a few more pairings but this is fine for now.)

Before I begin with the prologue, I want to warn some of the sensitive readers here there is a bit of angst and... MAYBE (emphasis on maybe) of non-erotic nudity since I'm a little skeptical on the possibility of feral humans even knowing the concept of clothing but that's just me perhaps (I'm still debating and even so, it'd probably only be in the first few chapters). Disclaimer : I don't own Pokémon obviously.

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Prologue : A Mother's Love

This fateful day started like any other day. Near the jungles of Alola, there was a lone home slightly isolated from the others in a village. On one hand, it had the perk that she could have the peace and quiet one desired at times and a nice view of the jungle. On the other hand, it made some places to buy food a longer walking distance and it could get lonely at times. There was another disadvantage that would eventually come. A young woman resided there with her baby. This young woman with her dark brown hair tied into a ponytail, in this particular day, was hanging the clean laundry in her home, trying to get away from the heat. In the front of her chest she had on a baby sling that, what else, had her baby inside it. She carefully wiped the sweat off her brow as she hung the last shirt. Once she was done, she smiled as she glanced at her pride and joy, her little boy.

To say that young Delia had it easy these days would be a lie, to an extent. The man who she thought would love her for all time had left her after she gave birth for a life of crime. It turned out that not everyone could be a parent. She hadn't heard from him ever since and perhaps it was for the best. After all, a man who would leave his wife and son for the quote-unquote 'easy' life wasn't worth crying over. That wasn't to say there wasn't any heartbreak over it at first, but now, she was happy with her little boy.

"It's just you and me, my little boy. We don't need your deadbeat father with us. You will always have me." Delia cooed to the baby who only gurgled as he drifted off to sleep again.

Sometimes however fate had different plans for any baby in this world, plans that sometimes didn't include their biological parents in their life. Unknown to her, while Delia was preparing to enter, there was the sound of a growl that was coming in. Once she heard it, however, her eyes widened as she instantly realized the source of the sound.

It was a hulking Pokémon with a muscular build, almost resembling some wrestler of sorts. It was notable in that it had a scar across one of it's eyes. It was breathing heavily and walking on two legs, making it easier to catch any prey it pleased. Sure enough, it's prey and target were on Delia and her son.

In any other moment, Delia could have easily hid in her home and locked the doors, getting any weapon in the case the Pokémon managed to break in. Yet in that moment of panic and fear for her and her son's life, with the adrenaline pumping in her body practically begging her to run or fight, Delia's mind didn't think of that possibility in that moment. In that second, Delia, still carrying her child, ran off, mentally begging her legs to move faster from this Pokémon who started to take chase.

She looked around for anywhere to hide, in particular her little boy in her arms. She could not let that creature Incineroar get to her baby boy. Her head darted for any good potential hiding place for her son. Then she found something. It was an abandoned row boat that contained a basket, child-sized, someone had left by a river. It may have been a dim move by the person who owned the boat to leave a perfectly good boat but for Delia, she was grateful for it. All she had to do was place her son in there and distract the Incineroar as much as possible to keep her baby boy safe, even if it did kill her.

Making sure no animal, especially not the Incineroar chasing her, was watching, Delia discreetly placed the sleeping baby boy in the basket in the boat as she covered him gently, to cover him mostly but not suffocate or hurt him in anyway. Once she heard the growl of the Incineroar was getting louder and nearer, Delia sprinted off to another direction as the Incineroar started to catch up to her. Once Delia stopped at a small grassy area with a huge rock to catch her breath a bit, she sank to her knees slightly praying to any deity out there to protect her son. However, her prayers were cut short by a hungry, feral growl of the Incineroar and a quick swift of it's paws. It didn't hesitate to attack the woman, who was not fearful at the idea of death but only hopeful for the future of her son. Not too soon, Delia's life had been cut short to save her son. However, Delia would be perhaps happy to know that her sacrifice for her son would not been in vain.

* * *

Author's Note: Considering this is a prologue, I don't have much to say. I decided to leave the identity of Ash's father here slightly vague but with a couple of hints and interpretations. Hopefully, by the time I write chapter one, I may finally get some thoughts out there. For now this is a good start I hope. Any corrections for grammar are appreciated here.

As mentioned, I do not in any way own Pokémon. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, short as it is. And...Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!


	2. Chapter 1 : A New Addition

I am alive! Fear not, this is not a dead story! So I would like to thank all of those who reviewed, favorited, and/or followed my story so far. I greatly appreciate it so much. Now then, let us continue with this story shall we?

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Chapter 1 : A New Addition

The Lycanroc pack had been resting for quite some time, unaware that the silence was to be disturbed by a loud 'Waah!' that emitted through the jungles of this area. The leader's mate heard the cry of the child. Her ears perked at that. Her shocked expression didn't go unnoticed by her mate.

"Luna? Is something wrong?"

"That baby cry...it sounds so near. Surely you hear it." Luna said, her eyes wide as she transfixed her ears in the sound. They had never heard that cry before. Who was this creature?

Her mate, Sol, said, "Luna, dear...what do you think it is?"

Luna shook her head, "I don't know...but it wouldn't hurt to find out!" Without warning, Luna then sprinted to where the sound of the baby cry was coming from. Sol was perplexed for a moment before choosing to follow his mate. The had finally reached the destination of where the wail was still being omitted. Luna took interest in the boat that was floating stranded by the lake. Once she took a peek at the boat she finally saw that inside the basket was where the baby cry was being heard. She looked closely inside to see the culprit of the wails. It was a human baby.

Upon seeing the female Lycanroc, the baby immediately ceased his wailing, in awe at this creature in front of him. Luna also became surprised at this as she gently nuzzled the child, who began to touch her nose. Sol had taken to seeing this sight of his wife sniffing the object in the basket. He asked, "Luna, what's the matter?"

Luna said, in a hushed whisper, "Sol...it's a human baby...someone must have left him here all alone." Sol then gazed at the baby himself. The child had a tuft of hair on his head that was black like the night, amber brown eyes, and striking 'z' marks on his cheeks. Yet what truly astounded Sol was that the baby showed no fear of the two Lycanroc at him. If anything, it was almost as if the boy was enjoying the company of the Lycanroc as he waved his arms in front of them, wanting to play with them.

Luna cooed, a hint of sadness in her voice, "Oh poor child...he's so defenseless and alone out there. He needs a family." Sol immediately got the hint that Luna had intentions to adopt the child and he asked, "You mean us?"

Luna quickly became sheepish as she admitted, "Well, I mean...it's just...he can't be left alone. He'll die. He needs the love of a mother or someone to raise him. If the humans can't, at least we can...Please, Sol."

Sol thought and said, debating slightly, "I'm not sure, Luna dear. For one thing, babies grow up and then they become strong...and wrathful." The Lycanroc of the area were all too aware of what some humans could do. Correction : All the Pokémon of the area knew what those humans with darkest hearts were perfectly capable of committing. Some humans with dark purposes were willing to capture Pokémon for the sake of their selfish purposes such as harming them for fur or other essentials, using them to further sinister schemes, and even to try to harm other humans.

Luna shook her head, "But what if we raise him not to become like that? We can raise him to be better than that. Some humans have good in them. We've seen that before. We can make this child be one of us."

Sol was in deep thought at this. On one hand, he still feared the potential of this child unintentionally leading more humans to come to do harm, heaven forbid. But on the other hand, Sol knew his wife was right. For all of the faults of some humans, Sol knew it was not all black and white. He had his fair share of meeting with some humans who were capable of helping other Pokémon. Perhaps his mate was right. There could be a chance to have this child not be tainted by the hatred of some humans no matter the fact that he was a human himself. After all, wasn't it said that nurture was far more effective than nature itself?

Finally, with a smile, Sol said, "Very well, Luna. Let's take our son home..." With that, Luna gently carried the baby back to the pack using her teeth, yet also making sure not to bite him. Once they reached their home, Luna remembered something or someone as she gently set the baby down. The baby looked around in amazement at his new surroundings.

"Is something wrong, Luna?" Sol inquired, noting the pondering face of his beloved mate. Luna finally said, "I'm just concerned that the others might not be able to accept our son so easily...and there's also that ne'er do well Pyro."

Sol's face darkened, "Ah, yes...him." If there was one thing that reminded Sol that not all Pokémon were the poor victims and not all humans were remorseless monsters, it was Pyro.

Pyro was a hulking Incinearoar with a notorious reputation of hunting- but not for the need of it. He hunted humans for pleasure. Every scream, every beg, every horrified look that those insignificant humans gave as he pounced for the kill gave him a joy he couldn't feel in another time. Even the Pokémon who resided that did have some dislike towards humans were appalled that Pyro killed just because. Most of these Pokémon only attacked when they were provoked...not Pyro. On the times he gave an excuse, he'd use his scar on his eye as an example of what humans could do. In his mind, humans were forever evil and he had to protect himself. He'd gladly kill populations of humans before he'd let one kill him.

Sol's thoughts were interrupted when they heard a little voice call out, "Mister Sol?"

Sol and Luna turned around to see the other Lycanrocs, all who had taken notice of the baby. The one who spoke was a wide-eyed innocent Rockruff.

One Lycanroc asked, "Who brought the human child here?" Sol replied, earnestly "It was me and Luna..we found him and we decided to take him as our own." The same Rockruff who spoke up asked, "You're going to be his new mommy and daddy?" Luna chuckled at the innocence of the Rockruff, "Yes, Zora."

Another Lycanroc asked, "Then what's his name?"

Luna smiled, "Ash. His name will be Ash..." As the Lycanroc whispered amongst themselves of the new addition, Sol and Luna smiled warmly at their new son, Ash. One could only wonder what destiny would lay out for Ash and what Pyro would do but they were determined to help Ash no matter what.

* * *

Sorry for the long wait. Once again I truly can't stress enough my gratitude for the reviews and favorites. It seems most seem interested who Ash's father is and if he'll be friend or foe. We'll just see, won't we? ;) And to answer KingRyHuff's review, I'll admit I can see why it would make more sense to keep Ash nude. I'll consider it...not sure how I'll work out how Lillie will react knowing her more flustered personality.

Corrections of grammar and spelling are appreciated as always. So is constructive feedback. I don't own the franchise. I'm just a fan having fun. Enjoy.


	3. Chapter 2 : A New Twist in Life

This chapter is a little short so I do apologize in advance. I originally had more written but I decided to cut it out since I didn't like it. Hopefully I will, I promise, make sure to introduce our mysterious hunter aka our Clayton. Who will he (or hell, maybe even she) be? Only I know and it's up to you guys to find out or take a guess at least.

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Chapter 2 : A New Twist in Life

Years had passed for young Ash, who grew from an infant to a boy and then a man. Many of the Pokémon had grown to like him. With his goofy but sociable personality, his compassion for the Pokémon around him, and even his ability to remove the thorns from paws, Ash was a favorite of the Lycanroc pack. His Rockruff siblings, born a couple of years after he came to the picture, especially took a liking to him. He was the best 'big brother' they could ask for, human or no.

Ash was also fortunate enough to find mentorship in two Pokémon. The first mentor was a family friend of the Lycanroc, a Pyroar named Pele. Pele was rather known as being somewhat of a grouch and a stick-in-the-mud. However, her detractors didn't know was for all of her more strict ideals, she was also very loyal, wise, and somewhat motherly. She was like an aunt-figure for Ash.

The second mentor contrasted greatly with Pele's more strict ways. In fact, he was what most would call 'laid-back'. This mentor, Orso, a hulking Ursaring, adapted the 'go with the flow' attitude. Ash met Orso when the latter had saved his life one day after the boy almost drowned, trying to do a dare some of the younger pack members gave. Orso instead stressed more on the importance of enjoying life.

Normally, anybody like Orso that would frustrate Pele to no end. She was not a huge fan of Pokémon who were very lazy. However, they did share a common interest in having the best for Ash. It was that interest of Ash's wellbeing that assured Pele that a bit lazy as he was, Orso was a good influence.

Through out the years Ash developed a friendship with some of the Pokémon. His closest friends included a Pikachu who Ash knew ever since he was a mere ten year old, and a Toucanmon who he nicknamed Zuri and had, in a sense, raised years ago as a Pikipek.

In addition, not only did Ash grow to be heroic and headstrong, if a risk-taker, he had grown nicely in physical terms as well. While in a Pokémon's eyes, Ash was merely average-looking, a human however may say something very different.

No longer was he the chubby baby that Sol and Luna adopted that fateful day. At the age of twenty, Ash was what would have been considered by many people a 'hunk'. His black hair reached down to his back a bit, he had developed a six-pack, and his skin had been kissed by the sun, a healthy tan. To say it plainly, he was handsome.

The most striking detail of Ash though was that he wore no clothing at all. Indeed, the stereotype of a loincloth was all blot for Ash's case. He was naked but not ashamed at all. Growing up among animals who never wore any clothing to begin with had quite the influence on Ash. Besides, Alola had an all-around sunny climate, and the nights were nice and cool. In the rare times he was cold, Ash would simply make a nice warm fire. Therefore, Ash didn't find any reason for wearing coverup.

For Ash, the jungles of Alola were the new-and-improved Eden.

Yet even this Eden had a forbidden fruit and a snake. For one thing, Ash and his siblings had often heard the phrase from his mother, and father 'Do not enter the man village'. Ash always had an interest toward it. He could never explain why. Now he had no plans to leave his family of course, but he couldn't help but wonder what kind of creatures lived there. A small part of him wanted to one day venture out even at night and see more. Yet, he was told how Pokémon came into that village and never returned. It was a horror story told sitting by the campfires. Even mothers told their young ones not to take the warning lightly. The village was the forbidden fruit Ash wanted to know more but knew it could hold something shocking, something he may never be prepared.

Then there was also the case of Pyro himself. For all of his violent assaults with humans, he had surprisingly found some popularity among his fellow Pokémon. While there was still a huge majority who had found his actions unforgivable, a few shared the same hatred of humans with him, albeit to a slightly lesser extent. His most loyal follower was a Mightyena who was named Mephistopheles. Mephistopheles was famous for being a 'snitch' and a big talker. Quite often, he would threaten and snarl at other Pokémon who disagreed with him. However the moment the Pokémon he threatened fought back, the Mightyena would immediately tuck his tail in between, frightened and desperately try to take his statements back. What he lacked in courage, he made up for in loyalty at least.

Ash knew he had to be cautious with these followers of Pyro and Pyro himself. The only reason that Ash had never truly become the target of Pyro's rage was because the law of the jungle protected Ash from being killed. The law forbade Pokémon from harming themselves unless for self-defense. Ash was technically a 'Pokémon' due to being raised by the Lycanroc. For all of Pyro's rash behavior, even he knew better than to disrupt that law. Yet Ash deep down acknowledged that with Pyro's instability, it was not a matter of if, but instead when Pyro would snap and ignore the law. He knew one day, if he wasn't careful, he'd be Pyro's kill or lunch.

Even with those thoughts, Ash was content with his life, his family, and his friends. However, he was unaware that two new people would be coming to his life. Whether they would break him or make him would be an entirely different story.

* * *

A nineteen year old girl was watching around in curiosity as she jotted down on her notes the Pokémon she had seen so far. There was a certain spark of excitement in her emerald-colored eyes. When she was a young girl she always held an interest of learning Pokémon, even when she had a fear of touching them (thankfully, the fear had been long conquered years ago). Now that she was older, she was more than happy to study them.

This young lady possessed a high intellect concerning and a reserved yet kind personality. She was among the top students in her class at the Pokémon university near the Alolan region. Now she had been hoping to gain a career as a researcher.

In addition to an intelligent and kind personality, this young girl was also quite pretty. Maybe not considered as 'hot' as her friends, in particular May Maples and Serena Gabena, but at least a few men found her attractive. Her body type defied the 'bigger is better' ideal of Alolan women. She had smaller 'features' for lack of a better word. Yet with her pale skin complexion, her long light blonde hair, and her huge emerald green eyes, she was seen as pretty at least. Almost exotic for the men looking for something different instead of the lightly-tanned, big breasted woman.

"Let's see...there's a family nest here. Better see more of what it is-"

"Lillie! Where did you head off to this time?!"

* * *

Sorry, I had to end at a cliffhanger. But yay, Lillie is officially introduced! Woo-hoo!

Yes, I like the idea of all the female traveling partners Ash has had being friends. Why make them rivals when they can be friends, or at least on friendly terms you know? Shipping wars suck. It's okay to dislike a ship but it's not okay to dislike the fans (with the exception of if they're...rabid, for lack of a better word). Yes, I'm being too preachy so I apologize but I think this PSA needs to be said for the Pokémon fandom.

Maples and Gabena are not the official last names of May and Serena. These are all fandom last names created such as Misty Waterflowers, Dawn Berlitz, and Brock...Harrison? (Hey, what can we do?)

Whose the mysterious voice who called out for Lillie? We'll see. Until then, I do not own the characters. I'm just a fan writing for fun. Constructive criticism such as spelling and grammar are highly appreciated. Do enjoy and for my fellow fanfic members who are American, Happy Fourth of July!


	4. Chapter 3 : An Astonishing Rescue

Well, what do you know? Finally decided to post a chapter after sorting things out more or less. I want to thank those who have reviewed, favorited and/or followed my story so far. I'd greatly appreciate if more people would review since I can get feedback on what I'm doing right and what I need to improve on. :)

To answer MaMcMu's comment, there will be some Disney-esque format at least, but not a lot to give it my own twist.

Now here comes the chapter that most of my readers (at least I think) are looking forward too. Let's commence shall we?

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Chapter 3 : An Astonishing Rescue

"Lillie! Where did you head off this time?"

The blonde young lady turned around to face a man frowning at her deeply. His arms were crossed and he had slightly narrowed his blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, mister Lysandre...I was just studying the Pokémon here and-"

"Don't wander off too far, miss Lillie. You and your brother Gladion hired me as well as Mister Giovanni so that I could protect you. Do you think we would want to see you in the jaws of a hungry Pokémon?" The red-haired man asked, cold yet calm.

"Of course not." Lillie shook her head, feeling the embarrassment an elementary school student would feel upon being chastised by her strict teacher.

"Then be a good girl and stay with the group at all times." Lysandre ordered as he left, with Lillie walking behind him. _'Be a good girl'...as if I was his daughter...or ten years younger than my age._ Lillie thought to herself, a bit miffed.

As she walked back to the campgrounds, she took a small moment to observe her settings. She glanced over the other members of the expedition. There was her older brother, Gladion, a young blond man dressed in more black than a funeral-goer, training his Pokémon. Giovanni was staring into space a bit, a frown settled in his face as he pondered about something. As if he was calculating something or reminiscing about a memory. Some of the others had wandered off to explore themselves, something Lillie considered lucky in the moment. In a tent, a bit of smoke was rising a bit from it. Brock was cooking something.

Lillie entered in her tent, sat in her cot. Once she did, she took her book bag, got out a book and began to read. She had wanted to explore a bit but so far she had yet the chance. As much as she appreciated Lysandre's services to protect the expedition group, there were times where she felt stifled by those services. This was an expedition after all. Where was the fun in not exploring at least once? _Well, we still have about two weeks._ Lillie thought, trying to assure herself. _I still have time._

As she began to finish off the chapter she was on, Lillie noticed the face of her beloved Pokémon glancing at her, in sadness. The white-furred Ninetails nuzzled her owner, empathizing with the slight frustration that Lillie had.

"Don't worry, Snowy...we'll explore soon. We just need the perfect opening." Lillie assured her Pokémon in a hushed whisper so no one, at least Lysandre, would hear.

She glanced up from the peek of her tent at the jungle one more time, wondering what could possibly lay out there. The possibilities were endless.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Delicious Mago berries coming up!" Ash declared, grinning as he tossed up a handful of Mago berries to his two companions, Pikachu and Zuri. Once the two Pokémon caught their berries with their paw and feather wings, Ash grabbed some for himself.

The three took no hesitation in eating their berries, enjoying the sweet taste of this berry.

"A nice blend of sweet and tasty if I do say so myself!" Zuri commented, upon finishing one of her berries.

"That's because sweet foods are tasty." Pikachu said with a smile, as he took a bite.

"Not all sweet foods. Some are too sweet for me to enjoy!" Zuri shook her head in defense.

Ash chuckled at the argument that his two friends were having. "I swear, you guys…" Ash began before then noticing a bit of smoke rising a bit farther. That hadn't been the first time either. It had began a couple of days ago. It wasn't a lot of smoke in fairness, just very faint, yet it didn't stop Ash from being curious.

"Something wrong, Ash?"

Ash turned around, facing Zuri and Pikachu who looked at him in astonishment.

"Have you guys ever wondered about the smoke?...The one that started at least two moons ago." Ash asked.

"Maybe it's just a fire Pokémon practicing his moves." Pikachu suggested, trying to find the positive of the situation.

"I'm not sure that's a Pokémon, Pikachu…" Zuri muttered, staring at the smoke herself intrigued.

"What I find odd is that no fires have broken out yet. Not complaining obviously but it seems odd, doesn't it?" Pikachu asked, glancing at his friends, concern in his face.

Zuri asked, "You don't think that…?" She faltered off, also concerned to consider the possibilities of new arrivals out there.

Ash didn't say a word, too focused on what could be the origins of this smoke. He couldn't shake off this feeling that something big was going to happen. Whether it would be for better or for worse however, that would be another question.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After a delicious dinner from the cook Brock and a few other activities, the expedition group had taken to begin to head off to sleep. Or at least almost all of them. While most of the expedition were now sleeping in their tents, Lillie had stayed up a bit later this time. She had taken to reading her book for a few minutes. Once she finished the chapter she was on, she readied to go to bed.

As she gently laid herself in her cot, she murmured gently to herself, "Tomorrow, I just tell Lysandre I'm off to explore and offer him to protect me, if that's what he's worried about…" And soon, she had settled off into sleep with Snowy curled up by her feet.

Unknown to her, her plans to go deeper into the jungle would be bumped up to this night. It all began a little later after midnight, at least. Snowy was sleeping peacefully by her owner. She sat up in awe at these sounds. What could they mean? She began to do her usual sounds getting the attention of Lillie, who sleepily got up. "Snowy? What's wrong?" the light-blonde haired girl asked in curiosity.

Snowy said nothing but she began sniffing the air and got out the tent to Lillie's shock. "Hey, wait for me!" she exclaimed, grabbing a sweater for herself and getting out of the tent to follow her Ninetales.

As Snowy ran to the smell, she then noticed she had gotten deeper and deeper. And then she could sense a...growl. A growl that sounded...vicious. The Ninetales tensed her body in concern as her owner Lillie finally caught up with her beloved Pokémon.

"Snowy!" Lillie cried out, relieved. "Thank goodness. Snowy, please, don't ever scare me like that...Snowy? What's wrong?" Lillie asked in concern as she noted the anxious expression of her Pokémon.

The Ninetales got into a defensive position as Lillie heard the growling, and she could feel herself become colder despite the fact that she had on a sweater. Soon she tensed her body in anxiety as the growling grew louder and louder.

Lillie and Snowy were about to run off as quick when out of the bushes and trees came the source of the growling. It was a hulking rouge Arcanine glaring at them with eyes of glare. Lillie stood in front of Snowy as an act of defense for her Pokémon as she and Snowy began to back away. The sooner they got out of here, the better.

Before she could, however, the Arcanine let out a blast of Ember at their direction. Snowy jumped up as an act to defend her owner, taking the hit instead.

"Snowy!" Lillie exclaimed in concern. The Ninetales lay on the ground, trying to recover herself from the critical hit. Lillie had to get her out of there and fast. Not only was Snowy at a type disadvantage but she feared this Arcanine would do something to both as well rather than just simply defeat them in battle.

Before the Arcanine could prepare another hit…

Out of the dark, a man-sized figure came out and lunged into the Arcanine, ridding any chance of the Arcanine attempting to do another blast. The Arcanine had forgotten about it's initial goal on Lillie and went for the newcomer instead. Lillie gasped in shock as she and Snowy watched on in awe at the fight between the Arcanine and...a human man. A naked human man, Lillie and Snowy both noted to add more shock.

Ash grimaced in pain as he took a slight Ember shot from Arcanine in the stomach before he bit on the Arcanine's upper behind neck, making it roar in pain. Ash snarled as he snapped to the Arcanine, in it's language, "Hey, leave this creature alone! You know it's against the law of this place!"

The Arcanine growled and scratched at Ash's arm who cringed to himself before laying himself flat and with his might, kicked the Arcanine's mouth causing it to whimper a bit before it furiously attempted to lunge at Ash, who jumped up and began holding on by it's ears.

Lillie gasped as she muttered in astonishment, "Incredible. I've never seen anyone battle a Pokémon by themselves."

The Arcanine pushed Ash out of the way, where the raven-haired feral hit his back against a large rock. The Arcanine shot an Ember attack at Ash once more, causing him to cringe in pain slightly before glowering at him. The Arcanine was about to lunge at Ash before the man jumped out of the way, causing the Arcanine to hit it's head against the rock. It lost consciousness immediately, spirals in it's eyes.

Ash sighed, relieved that the battle was over. There he gave a look at the would-be victims of his opponent and was surprised. Lillie blushed upon realizing that she had now gotten the attention of the man who saved her life.

She cleared her throat and said, gratefully, "Thank you...thank you for saving me there. I...I really appreciate it."

Ash simply blinked at her in confusion. However, before he could near her, his face contorted to pain due to the Ember attack on his stomach earlier. He fell to his knees, clutching his stomach.

Lillie and Snowy were stunned at this twist. Ash glanced at Lillie before passing out from the pain.

The blonde haired girl rushed to Ash, and did a quick check on his pulse. "He's alive..but that Ember attack left a number on him." Lillie replied to herself in relief that her hero was alive, if in need of help. "Come on, we need to help him."

Snowy gave a quick nod as she got up. Lillie gently ordered, "Get the others, Brock especially."

Snowy once more nodded at her owner's wishes and headed off to the campgrounds to get help. About ten minutes later, the others had returned with Snowy leading them. Their faces of grumpiness and/or confusion turned to astonishment and concern at seeing the sight of Lillie kneeling over a man they didn't know who was unconscious and his stomach red with the ember attack. The unconscious Arcanine, with spirals in their eyes, lay at a far corner.

"Lillie! What happened here?" Lysandre asked firmly.

"Snowy heard something and I followed her...we...we got caught by this Arcanine there and it...it would have killed us if he hadn't saved us." Lillie replied, gesturing to Ash.

"So you put yourself on danger in purpose?" Lysandre frowned.

"No! I didn't." Lillie shook her head firmly before crying out, "Please. Just help this man. He's in pain…"

Brock glanced over the unconscious man and said, "She's right. He's had at least two ember attacks on his body. Take him to the infirmary."

With that, two of the venturers carried the man by each end of his body, carefully draping a fabric (one of the men's pajamas shirts) over his waist area, solely for modesty purpose of course, as the group headed off to the campgrounds so Brock could treat him. Lillie sighed in relief that they would help this man even though she knew Lysandre was glaring behind her. Giovanni couldn't help but stare at the man. Why did he have a gut feeling about this man?

* * *

Fun fact...I just found out that Lysandre's name is spelt 'Lysandre' not 'Lysandere' all this time. Thanks, Bulbapedia.

Choosing who would be my story's 'Clayton/Buldeo' was a tricky choice which is the main reason (barring personal issues like college and all that) that it took a long time to update. I had toyed with multiple ideas such as having Hunter J or Iron-Masked Marauder from the movie with Celebi. Heck, even Giovanni was set to be the 'Clayton' at one point to make the battle between him and Ash more poetic in an angsty kind of way. But I chose Lysandre since I think that he has some aspects of Clayton such as appearing to be nice, or at least understanding, before showing his true colors, the need for control, heck even the fact he is willing to exterminate Pokémon not loyal to him for his image of a pure world.

Hey, I had to include Snowy, albeit evolved now, there too. This is a Pokémon story. I mean I include Pikachu there, so why not Snowy and the guys' other Pokémon later on? Not sure if I should evolve Pikachu too later on in the story...eh, we'll see.

Surprise, I'm not so great when it comes to fight scenes. So I really hope you guys can give some little ways that I can improve with those fight scenes since there'll be another one coming by the climax of the story.

I do not own the characters. I'm just a fan writing for fun. Thank you all for being so patient with me. Constructive criticism is welcome. Keep on with the reviews and favorites!


	5. Chapter 4 : A Strange New World

I don't have much to say for now...let us continue shall we…

* * *

Chapter 4 : A Strange New World

The rays of the sun had hit his face as Ash began to moan, awakening from his slumber. He became aware that he was lying on a somewhat soft surface. His mind was still somewhat out there, almost catatonic. He could hear a few voices a bit far off but could not recognize what they were conversing about. It sounded garbled, a language completely alien to what he was used to, though it reminded him of the times he heard strangers talk when he went too close to the village to Pele's discomfort before she'd scold him.

He feebly opened his eyes and willed himself to sit up. The blanket that had covered him up to his neck slipped slightly from his body. There, to Ash's astonishment, he saw that his stomach had been bandaged up. Aside from that though, he was still completely in the nude. His eyesight finally cleared itself and Ash could now see his surroundings.

He was inside one of the tents, specifically the one that belonged to Brock. (Obviously, Ash did NOT know this yet of course). The tent had few things aside from the sleeping bag/cot that Ash was sitting up on. These items included a backpack filled with essentials of hygiene products, pieces of clothing lying in another backpack, and finally a table with a thermos filled with cool water with it and a book over one magazine on the table. To Ash, however, all of it was alien. Ash carefully lifted himself up to his legs and he decided to survey the area.

Ash neared the backpack of the essentials first, studying the toothbrush with surprise. What sort of contraption was this? He carefully got out other essentials such as a map and a flashlight that Ash had the misfortune of turning it on as it faced him. Mumbling to himself in frustration, Ash moved on to the next bag, filled with clothing. As he got each piece of clothing and studied them, Ash raised an eyebrow in confusion. Now he really was perplexed. _What kind of contraption is this?_ , Ash pondered as he slipped his hand into one of the shirt's sleeves to study it.

Then he moved on to the table. He first lifted the thermos and began shaking it to feel that there was a liquid in it. Ash briefly tapped the thermos with his fist to study it more. It was actually a bit hard, Ash noted. Once he finished studying the thermos, Ash quickly moved on to the book. There he looked at the front of it, the book being titled "The Science of Compatibility in Pokemon" by someone named Takeshi Ueda. Of course, Ash didn't understand the book. Taking a quick seat, Ash held the book with both hands and thumbed the pages down with the toes of his feet with a superficial check. He frowned at the realization that he couldn't understand it. He set the book back to the table where he finally noticed the magazine under the book. The cover featured a beautiful girl with strawberry blonde hair and green eyes, dressed in red, staring into the camera as she grinned sweetly. In the girl's arms was a ribbon she showed no hesitation to show off. She was posing with a Glaceon who had a triumphant, almost arrogant, grin on its face, a Pancham jumping up in delight, and a Typhlosion grinning shyly to itself. The title behind the magazine's own title read : "Underdog Takes Competition by Storm and Wins!". Ash was curious but just as he could thumb the magazine itself.

Then the voices got louder and Ash's body tensed up, not knowing whether the best option was to flight or fight. The flap of the tent opened up to reveal Lillie and Brock. Ash's heart raced not sure what to do.

Brock and Lillie took a quick pause as they surveyed the tent, now messy. Brock shook his head as Lillie chuckled sheepishly. "He...he appears to have gotten into your tent, Brock." Lillie stated as she added, "...I guess he's curious."

Brock also gave one sheepish chuckle as he said, "Guess he did...I'll clean it up later."

He came face to face with Brock and Lillie. Ash felt that the green-eyed girl was familiar as if he had seen her in a distant memory but the man was a completely new person. Confusion settled into Ash's face as he surveyed the two with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

"You okay? You sure took a bad hit from that Arcanine." The tanned man, Brock, asked but Ash cocked an eyebrow.

Brock inquired, concern in his voice, "Uh...is everything okay, sir?"

Ash was getting nervous. Wherever he was, it was not home. And he knew his family and friends would be worried sick. There was NO way that he was going to let this stand by. He was going to defend himself. Ash immediately sat up and got on all fours. With a defensive glare in his face, he began to growl. Lillie gasped in concern. What did this man plan now?

"Woah, hold it! Hold it!" Brock yelped as he put his hands up. "Don't you remember the attack with the Arcanine?"

 _Arcanine_. Now Ash could understand that word. He stopped growling as a pensive look overtook his face. Yes, it was coming to him. An Arcanine that attacked a creature who looked not too different from him and an Alolan Ninetales. And then he remembered coming to the rescue and getting a few hits from the Arcanine's ember attack. And then managing to subdue the Arcanine before he felt a darkness overtake him as he lost consciousness from the pain. Ash was stunned as the flashback ended.

The wheels on Brock's head turned as he watched Ash's surprised expression. _He's feral,_ Brock deduced. Lillie also reached the same conclusion. That explained everything. Quietly, Lillie asked to Ash gently, "You...you don't understand us at all, huh?" Ash's confused and, almost scared looking, response was all the answer Lillie needed to confirm this new theory.

* * *

Meanwhile Sol and Luna were both huddling near each other in concern, Luna especially concerned.

"Oh where could he be, Sol?" Luna moaned. It wasn't like her little boy to just vanish like this, not return even though he clearly said, "I'll be back, Mom and Dad!" to figure out the noise. "I just hope my little boy is safe,...I don't want anything bad to happen to him!" She exclaimed anxiously at the line.

Sol, his face filled with concern, nodded as he assured, or tried to at least, his own heart in worry, "Ash is a fighter, Luna. He'll….he'll be okay. I'm sure he's only hanging out with his friends. You know how much Pikachu loves to hang out with Ash, to the point of inviting him over to sleep."

Luna bit her lip, sincerely wanting to believe this fact but she only replied, "That is true...but if it was the case, he should have told us first."

Sol nodded, concerned that his wife had mentioned that comment. The Lycanrocs glanced at their pups, sleeping peacefully and still blissfully aware about their brother's disappearance. All they could do was pray that their first son would come back home safe. They'd be a bit mad that he didn't say anything before but at least they would know he was okay.

* * *

I'm alive guys! Just had to deal with the reality we call life. For starters, 2019 was my final year in University of California, Irvine. I graduated this summer with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Social Behavior! Great huh? I also am currently job searching for something pertaining to my major. Anyway...here are the references.

The name Takeshi Ueda and the book "The Science of Compatibility in Pokemon" is a nod to Brock's Japanese name _Takeshi_ , his Japanese voice actor or seiyu Yuji _Ueda_ as well as a nod to Brock's interest in Pokemon Breeding for a time before he became interested in being a doctor.

Hopefully I will write a little more in the next chapter. I do not own the characters. I am simply a fan writing this for fun. Constructive criticism is favorable.


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